Local Senator Officially Endorses Jon Huntsman

On the day that Maggie Hassan , another Seacoast-area politician also made a major political announcement.

State Sen. Nancy Stiles, R-Hampton, released a statement Tuesday morning announcing that she has decided to endorse Utah Gov. Jon Huntsman in the race for the Republican presidential nomination.

Stiles had said last month that she wanted to wait to endorse a candidate, although she said at the time that Huntsman was her top choice.

Here is the statement released by Stiles, as e-mailed to Patch:

"I am proud to endorse Governor Jon Huntsman for President.

"Though we have some very capable Republican candidates seeking the Presidency, Governor Huntsman stands out because of his international experience which none of the other candidates have. We know that one of our country’s great challenges on the world stage – both politically and economically – is China, and Governor Huntsman as our former Ambassador to China is uniquely qualified to deal with the Chinese government and its people.

"Governor Huntsman is offering bold economic plans that will help restore our manufacturing and production capabilities – make “Made in America” mean something again. 

"Like many of the other candidates, Governor Huntsman has both private sector business experience and public sector executive experience, but it is his style of leadership that elevates his candidacy. He is a man of integrity and principle who focuses on solutions and welcomes input from the most knowledgeable individuals and organizations. His ability to work with both parties is exemplified by the fact that both Republican and Democratic Presidents asked him to serve in their Administrations as they recognized him as the best person for the job.

"Governor Huntsman gets New Hampshire. He recognizes and defends New Hampshire’s unique role as the properly placed First in the Nation Presidential Primary state. He understands and appreciates the valuable role our citizens play for the nation because we spend time with each of the candidates and ask the tough questions – dig deep into the candidate’s agendas to identify those with the leadership qualities that will unite people and put the United States back on track as number one. 

"When Nevada threatened our primary, Governor Huntsman was the first candidate to step forward and stand up for our primary by pledging to boycott the Nevada caucus. Other candidates either chose to support Nevada or claim they too would boycott Nevada, yet still participated in the Nevada debate. Only Governor Huntsman had the courage of his convictions to not just promise to boycott the Nevada caucus but also to boycott their debate by spending debate night at a town hall meeting in New Hampshire.            

"Governor Jon Huntsman is a leader who works behind the desk getting things done and accomplishing solutions, not a politician who grandstands for attention and delivers nothing but rhetoric."      

Huntsman also released a statement Tuesday in regard to Stiles' endorsement, which he said comes on the "heels of six more [undisclosed] New Hampshire State Representatives" submitting an endorsement for Huntsman's campaign. 

“Nancy has been a leader in New Hampshire’s statehouse [sic] and I am proud to have her support on the campaign trail,” wrote Huntsman. “We are presenting solutions instead of rhetoric to our country’s toughest problems and with the help of community leaders like Nancy today, we will continue to travel the Granite State to answer tough questions and provide real, thoughtful answers.”